The Second Battle of Ypres, 22 April to 25 May, 1915.
Canadian troops saw limited action in March 1915, but at the Second Battle of Ypres the 1st Division was fully committed. Using chlorine gas for the first time on the Western Front, the enemy attacked the Ypres salient and the 45th Algerian Division fled before the choking olive-green clouds, thus opening a hole in the line. Lacking gas masks and armed with unreliable Ross rifles, the Canadians nevertheless closed much of the gap and repulsed numerous German assaults. The fighting was particularly fierce between April 22nd and 25th; in those few days four Canadians won the Victoria Cross. Between April 15th and May 3rd, when they held the salient, the 1st Canadian Division counted 6,036 dead, wounded or captured men. In spite of these losses, the Canadians emerged from the battle with very high morale. Under incredibly adverse conditions they had proven themselves to be valuable friends and formidable foes. Their distinguished reputation as shock troops began at "Second Wipers."
Richard Jack (1866-1952) was born in England, received his art education there, and became a noted portraitist who painted several European monarchs. In 1916 he was approached by Sir Max Aitken to paint for the Canadian War Memorials Fund. He subsequently produced two portraits and two battle scenes of heroic proportions, the other being The Taking of Vimy Ridge, Easter Monday, 1917. Although Jack visited Canada after the war, he did not settle in this country until 1931. The work of his Canadian career included portraits, views of the Rockies and seascapes.
In his oil painting (370.3 x 595.7 cm) of the Second Battle of Ypres, Jack captured the intensity and confusion of fighting in the trenches. This was warfare at its most primitive level; in the close confines it was sometimes difficult to use firearms and men resorted to clubs, rifle butts, and bayonets.
Courtesy: Canadian War Museum, National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada (8179)
